Any Port in a Storm: Vessel Activity and the Risk of IUU-Caught Fish Passing through the World’s Most Important Fishing Ports

This study assesses the risk of fish from illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) sources passing through the world’s most important fishing ports and explores the drivers of this risk. Like previous studies it has attempted to rank ports and States based on landings and vessel visits reported by governments by using Automatic Identification System (AIS) positional data transmitted by fishing and fish carrier vessels to identify the locations of ports and rank them based on the frequency of visits by foreign-flagged and domestic-flagged vessels. It advances our thinking in that (i) the analysis includes an estimation of the hold capacity of fishing vessels and is therefore able to rank ports based on the total hold capacity of vessels visiting them and (ii) the profile and the frequency of vessel visits inform an assessment of the relative risks between different ports, and the implications for the implementation of the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA). The study also assesses the accuracy and utility of AIS-derived data for determining IUU risk globally for all ports, notably by cross-referencing its findings with those of other studies. The study develops a broad suite of indicators that quantify and aggregate the AIS-derived port visit information in conjunction with published and publicly available policy and regulatory information drawn from other sources, such as the compliance record with binding port State measures of regional fisheries management organizations, to raise a global port State IUU Risk Index. The comparison of achieved risk scores with national income, levels of corruption, and geography provides insights into factors driving (aggravating) or modulating (mitigating) risks of IUU-caught seafood passing through a Nation’s fishing ports, and supports a view that States with weaker governance also face higher odds of visits by vessels likely to have engaged in IUU fishing (i.e. higher external risks). Based on an in-depth assessment of 14 individual ports globally, appended as a supplement to this paper, the study finds that overall, and with the possible exception of mandatory advance request procedures for entering ports, the implementation of key provisions of the 2009 PSMA remains severely lacking. The two main areas for improvement are the posting of publicly available PSM-related information on national and/or FAO portals, and the formal designation of ports

Cetaceans sightings during research cruises in three remote Atlantic British Overseas Territories

Marine mammal sightings were recorded during research cruises to three remote, mid-ocean British Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic and Southern Ocean. In March to April 2018 and 2019, the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of tropical St Helena and temperate Tristan da Cunha were surveyed. The sub-polar waters of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) were surveyed in February to March 2019. At St Helena in 2018, five species were recorded during 11 sightings, and in 2019, four species, with one additional unidentified species, during seven sightings. Most of these sightings were of dolphin species, which are known to be resident around the Island and seamounts. In Tristan da Cunha in 2018, a total of five identified and one unidentified species were recorded during six sightings, half of which were associated with the Islands or seamounts. In 2019, due to rough weather, no sightings were recorded in the Tristan waters. Around SGSSI, 162 sightings of 236 cetaceans were made in 2019, mostly of baleen whales, with seven species identified with certainty. Sightings around the southern South Sandwich Islands' included beaked whales and large dolphins, whereas baleen whales dominated in the northern South Sandwich Islands. These results provide new data for rarely surveyed regions, helping to build a spatial picture of important areas for marine mammals, which will help inform marine spatial protection strategies

Relationship between depression and frailty in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim Depression and frailty are prevalent and burdensome in older age. However, the relationships between these entities are unclear and no quantitative meta-analysis exists. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the associations between depression and frailty. Methods Two authors searched major electronic databases from inception until November-2016 for cross- sectional/longitudinal studies investigating depression and frailty. The strength of the reciprocal associations between frailty and depression was assessed through odds ratios (ORs) adjusted for potential confounders. Results From 2306 non duplicated hits, 24 studies were included. The overall prevalence of depression in 8023 people with frailty was 38.60% (95% CI 30.07 to 47.10, I2=94%). Those with frailty were at increased odds of having depression (OR adjusted for publication bias 4.42, 95%CI 2.66-7.35, k=11), also after adjusting for potential confounders (OR=2.64; 95%CI: 1.59-4.37, I2=55%, k=4). The prevalence of frailty in 2167 people with depression was 40.40% (95%CI 27.00-55.30, I2=97%). People with depression were at increased odds of having frailty (OR=4.07, 95%CI 1.93-8.55, k=8). The pooled OR for incident frailty, adjusted for a median of 7 confounders, was 3.72 (95%CI 1.95-7.08, I2=98%, k=4), whilst in two studies frailty increased the risk of incident depression with an OR=1.90 (95%CI 1.55-2.32, I2=0%). Conclusion This meta-analysis points to a reciprocal interaction between depression and frailty in older adults. Specifically, each condition is associated with an increased prevalence and incidence of the other, and may be a risk factor for the development of the other. However, further prospective investigations are warranted

'They're just who they've always been': The intersections of dementia, community and selfhood in Scottish care homes

© Cambridge University Press 2017. Issues stemming from differences and similarities in cultural identities affect residents and workforces in care homes in Scotland, as they do across the United Kingdom. Theoretical guidance and policy drivers emphasise the importance of considering cultural diversity when planning or enacting person-centred care processes, regardless of where health or social care takes place. Nevertheless, there is a recognised worldwide dearth of research concerning the intersections of culture, dementia and long-term care. This being so, a recent research study found that inadequate understandings of issues stemming from cultural diversity could be seen to constrain person-centred care in some Scottish care homes. In addition, the study uncovered little-recognised socio-cultural phenomena which were observed to positively enhance person-centre care. This article will focus on that, and will lay out findings from the study which lead to the following broad assertion: there is a broad lack of understanding of the power, and potential utility, of shared identity and community as a bulwark against the erosion of personhood which is often associated with dementia. This article describes these findings in some detail, thereby providing fresh insights into how shared cultural identity, and the sense of community it may bring, bears upon the interactions between workers and residents with dementia in Scottish care homes. It then suggests how the school of 'person-centred care' may be developed through further research into these phenomena

Mitochondrial genetic haplogroups and incident obesity: a longitudinal cohort study

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: A small number of case-control studies have suggested that mitochondrial haplogroups could be associated with obesity. We examined whether obesity risk was influenced by mitochondrial haplogroup in a large North American cohort across an 8-year period. We conducted a longitudinal cohort study including individuals from the Osteoarthritis Initiative. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Mitochondrial haplogroups were determined by sequencing and PCR-RFLP techniques using this nomenclature: HV, JT, KU, IWX, and super HV/others. The strength of the association between mitochondrial haplogroups and incident obesity was quantified with hazard ratios (HRs), adjusted for potential confounders using a Cox's regression analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 2342 non-obese Caucasian participants (56.7% women) with a mean ± SD age of 62.0 ± 9.5 years at baseline were included. During a median follow-up of 8 years, 334 individuals ( = 14.3% of baseline population) became obese. After adjusting for nine potential confounders, the haplogroups IWX carried a significant 48% higher risk of obesity (HR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.02-2.39) compared to the HV haplotype (the most frequent type). CONCLUSION: Only the presence of the IWX haplogroups appears to be linked to increased obesity risk, independent of potential baseline confounders. Future cohort studies are needed to confirm these findings and to determine potential underlying mechanisms

The limitations of hibonite as a single-mineral oxybarometer for early solar system processes

The relationships between the composition of hibonite with the general formula CaAl12-2x-yMgxTi4 +xTi3 +yO19, the oxidation state of Ti (Ti3 +/ΣTi, where ΣTi = Ti3 + + Ti4 +), and oxygen fugacity (fO2) were investigated experimentally. It was found that hibonite can be synthesised with a range of Ti3 +/ΣTi values at constant fO2 and with a constant Ti3 +/ΣTi value for a range of fO2s. It was also found that if hibonite with the formula CaAl12-yTi3 +yO19 (Ti3 +/ΣTi = 1) is equilibrated with a melt of CAI composition at fO2s below the iron-wüstite buffer then the resulting hibonite contained Mg, with Mg per formula unit (pfu) ~ 0.8 Ti pfu, and Ti3 +/ΣTi ~ 0.2, irrespective of the fO2. These results suggest that the availability of Mg, rather than fO2, is the key factor that determines Ti3 +/ΣTi of hibonite. The structures of synthetic samples of hibonite with the general formula CaAl12-2xMgxTi4 +xO19, where 0 ≤ X < 1, were determined by Rietveld refinement of X-ray powder diffraction data. The predominant site occupied by Ti4 + was found to change from M2 to M4 with increasing Ti content. The range of Ti concentrations over which the site occupancy changed corresponds to that observed in meteoritic hibonite. This change in the Ti4 + site produces changes in the Ti K-edge XANES spectra, particularly in the intensity of the pre-edge feature, for constant Ti3 +/ΣTi. The observed dependence of the pre-edge on the Ti4 + site was reproduced by ab initio simulations of the XANES spectra. The XANES spectra of natural hibonite with variable Ti content from the Murchison carbonaceous chondrite closely match the spectra of the synthetic samples with similar Ti contents. These differences in the spectra of meteoritic hibonite could be misinterpreted as being due to changes in Ti3 +/ΣTi, but are instead due to differences in ΣTi, which relate to the petrogenetic history. Crystal chemistry exerts a first order control on the Ti site occupancy and Ti3 +/ΣTi value of hibonite. As a result, no simple relationship between Ti3 +/ΣTi and fO2 should be expected. It is unlikely that hibonite will be useful as an oxybarometer for solar processes without Ti3 +/ΣTi standards that are compositionally matched to the unknown

Psychosocial impact of undergoing prostate cancer screening for men with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.

OBJECTIVES: To report the baseline results of a longitudinal psychosocial study that forms part of the IMPACT study, a multi-national investigation of targeted prostate cancer (PCa) screening among men with a known pathogenic germline mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. PARTICPANTS AND METHODS: Men enrolled in the IMPACT study were invited to complete a questionnaire at collaborating sites prior to each annual screening visit. The questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics and the following measures: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Impact of Event Scale (IES), 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36), Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer, Cancer Worry Scale-Revised, risk perception and knowledge. The results of the baseline questionnaire are presented. RESULTS: A total of 432 men completed questionnaires: 98 and 160 had mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, respectively, and 174 were controls (familial mutation negative). Participants' perception of PCa risk was influenced by genetic status. Knowledge levels were high and unrelated to genetic status. Mean scores for the HADS and SF-36 were within reported general population norms and mean IES scores were within normal range. IES mean intrusion and avoidance scores were significantly higher in BRCA1/BRCA2 carriers than in controls and were higher in men with increased PCa risk perception. At the multivariate level, risk perception contributed more significantly to variance in IES scores than genetic status. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to report the psychosocial profile of men with BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations undergoing PCa screening. No clinically concerning levels of general or cancer-specific distress or poor quality of life were detected in the cohort as a whole. A small subset of participants reported higher levels of distress, suggesting the need for healthcare professionals offering PCa screening to identify these risk factors and offer additional information and support to men seeking PCa screening